The FastDay Forum

[carieoates]

Hi @sallyo. It's a google hangout set up as a trial to see if a chatroom would work. It's so great to be able to communicate live with fasting colleagues and it has certainly proved there is a place for it on this forum. I'm not on it at the moment as I have taken a step back from the site as I have alot going on personally right now but if you ask @carieoates I'm sure she will help you join in.

@sallyo
I can add you to the hangout gang. Search for hangouts on here and it sould tell you how to get on.
It may take me a wee while to sort as I'm away in holiday at the moment.

Yes, what is this chatroom? I'm still feeling like a bit of a newbie and leaning pretty heavily on information, lessons learned by others and success stories on this forum. I don't have any trouble loading the forum at all.

[Moogie]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I can assure you the new improved mobile version is in development - it's taking a bit longer than originally planned as we want to make it great! Hopefully this'll bring a few folks back.

If you get any error messages on the site (eg as mentioned by @Manderley) please do email them to forum@fastday.com - if you can copy and paste them all the better then we'll be able to try to track down the cause.

@Merlin my apologies if it seems I was villainising the hangout, I hadn't meant it that way at all. I'd love to come to one of the real life meet ups at some point, but due to my health at the moment this is really difficult for me. When I'm well again I think we should organise a massive meetup!

@MaryAnn thanks for that suggestion! We do have an area for success stories on the main FastDay site -
http://www.fastday.com/how-it-works/success-stories/
which we need to highlight a bit more and try to get more folks here to add to it if possible!

I think it might be helpful if we highlighted a few more areas of the main site here at the forum as I think many users are unaware of just how much we've got on the site itself!

I'll point the tech team to some of the issues raised here, but I'd also really like to hear some ideas for forum based events for fun which will get the community chatting a bit more Like how we ran the awards etc, but something everyone can get involved in and enjoy planning/taking part it. Not sure what yet!

Well, I gotta get to work now, but will check in again later

I think the chatroom is something for further down the line but I'll check in with the team on that one!

@Moogie I just tried again and the technical problem seems to be with the "https" thing which seems to be part When I enter the address with just "www." it works, well, I can go on the page anyway. The "https" is partt of the automatic address (and I don't understand why if I may say so as there is no money transaction so no need to be that secure, but I may be wrong), on the page anyway.

Oh and I want to be add to the hangouts if it's possible

[carieoates]

fastonbury-glamping-grounds-f34/hang-out-tent-t12077.html?hilit=Hangouts

Here's the thread for google hangouts.

Thanks Moogie. great idea - I'm sure many newbies would appreciate a friendly and encouraging adoption. I'd be very happy to adopt a newbie for a week - through interest how many joiners do we have at this time of year? The forum seems to me to be busier following @justdee great shout out 'Who is missing'.

And I see only one announcement!

Hi

I am only just back after quitting last autumn and it took me long time to find the site again. Searching in google with 5:2 or fasting/fast diet brought a lot of suggestions but not this site. It felt like one site dominated it and it wasn't the site I wanted. I ended up searching through my emails and finding one from Moogie and then through the link I found the new site. I don't have any problems with loading this site, just teething problems getting back into it.

Just thought you should know as this could be one reason why it's quiet

[Moogie]

And I see only one announcement!

I've just done a bit of rejigging as most of the announcements don't need to be there all the time for users. I've tried to put the FAQs, Wiki etc (which are more useful for newbies I think) in other prominent places, so we have a shorter list of announcements. I've added some handy links to key areas of the FastDay site too in the form of 'forum links', ie, it's in the list of forums but is a link to a relevant area of the site or a key topic (like the FAQ/Wiki).


Thanks @Alexandra for the feedback there, looks like we need to do a bit more search engine work on the new site to make sure folks can find it. Glad you found the email I sent and managed to get back here!

I am having a tough time getting into the forum the last couple days. Often it just hangs for four or five minutes.

I agree the announcements up top are a turnoff, as on my tablet I have to scroll to even find the new posts. Its another couple steps to find the threads I've been participating in. I'm highly experienced with forums and have owned and run a big one, so I can find my way around. But I think this setup is daunting to most casual visitors.

A very artificial event sounds like another way of confusing and driving off newbies, like the "tent" thing that makes no sense when you first visit here and has to be explained.

I would suggest making the diet mechanics, food for fast day suggestions, and ongoing support for fasting people front and center at all times and simplifying the thread display so the list of all the most recent topics on these important areas are what people see after one or two clicks. Right now when people come to the forum page they see lots of very old threads, which makes it look dead. Get rid if the list of old, mostly dead, threads at the bottom of the page too.

There are such fine people here with a lot of very good ideas, but it is a lot more work to find them than it should be. Simplify! Simplify, Simplify!

I'd be happy to point you to some forums that are better designed that I believe are using the same php board software you are.

[janeg]

I'm finding it very interesting that many of the reasons it is quite are being laid at the forum structure change. I do agree with that and
I'm going to raise the issue of the font size and serif again. I've been using the forum on my book pad while on holiday and have come back to my computer. It's not just my eyes (which are recovering now) it's too small! I think that if people are browsing the inter webs and come across a forum which isn't easy on the eye they will not persevere with it. I know I won't!

Most if my gripes emailed to the guys have been put right
Yellow banner still floating and getting in the way then sometimes not even there to touch on to via my android tablet
I assume theses repairs are still work-in-progress so
I'm patiently awaiting them.
Agree with @Janegthere must be something that can be done with font size I made mine larger because some members said they couldn't read my reply but because I still couldn't read all the length of pages in PM's I've gone slightly smaller again so don't know if they're readable or not.

Would deffo adopt a newbie for however long
Mentioning no names but I've forced myself on one or two already along my fasting journey seems to have been accepted
or maybe they're humouring an old woman. Lol

I just struggle to get PC time in the school hols because the kids are off.

Hi

I am only just back after quitting last autumn and it took me long time to find the site again. Searching in google with 5:2 or fasting/fast diet brought a lot of suggestions but not this site. It felt like one site dominated it and it wasn't the site I wanted. I ended up searching through my emails and finding one from Moogie and then through the link I found the new site. I don't have any problems with loading this site, just teething problems getting back into it.

Just thought you should know as this could be one reason why it's quiet

It does seem that Google Natural rankings has slipped on the site. It used to get top 3 positions in google for all 5-2 related searches almost always when it was name 52fastdiet.co.uk, possibly because of the words "52fast" in domain name but perhaps content was more 5-2 focussed than now so it has slightly diluted things. your server or google traffic/webmaster tools will tell you @Moogie

I am glad that the new improved mobile version is in development because I used to spend a lot of time on my mobile and have been a bit put off by the newer version's wobbly, difficult use....it was much easier before on the small screen and banners didn't get in the way.
I haven't been on a lot lately as I am moving house soon....14th August.....and things are getting a bit fraught! Your experience @Moogie and what happened to you whilst on the move has made me try and take things at a sensible pace! I do so hope that you are much better now?
I feel I have deserted the 4:3 thread and my buddies on the Maintenance thread, but I am thinking of you all